Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich secretly financed the acquisition and maintenance of Vitesse while he was the owner of Chelsea, according to the British edition of the Guardian.
According to leaked documents, the Dutch club received at least €117 million in loans from offshore companies associated with the businessman.
The first mention of Chelsea’s patronage came in 2010, when Vitesse acquired former Georgian footballer Merab Zhordania. At the very first press conference, Zhordania called Abramovich his friend, but denied his involvement in the deal. In 2013, Vitesse came under the control of Russian businessman Alexander Chigirinsky, who is also called a close friend of Abramovich.
The links between Chelsea and Vitesse became clear when the London club began sending players from Arnhem to the team for a set of match practice, the most notable of which are Nemanja Matic and Mason Mount.
In April 2014, Jordania stated that Vitesse had been banned from strengthening in an attempt to win the Dutch championship and qualify for the Champions League because “London didn’t want that”. At the same time, it should be taken into account that UEFA prohibits two teams with one owner from participating in the tournament under its auspices. Zhordania later retracted his words and denied information regarding the financing of Abramovich.
The Royal Netherlands Football Union (KNVB) conducted investigations twice over the years, but never collected evidence of Abramovich’s involvement in the provision and management of Vitesse.
